Far Beyond Your Reach
by Pyrus Princess
Summary: "What are the answers, I seek? What do they mean? The reason the world was destroyed... is because of me?" Connections power both the seen and unseen. But what does it mean, if the connection that holds the very fabric of the universe in the balance, was once held... by you. "The answer that you seek is the reason you exist and the reason... you may die, Daniel Kuso". (Semi-AU).
1. Trouble at the Centre

" _Find them, they must not escape". Those were the words spoken by a tyrant, thirsty for power; a power clearly not his. Search parties were sent throughout the region and all their reports so far were not satisfactory. Some reports declared sightings, one reported a successful capture and then a subsequent ambush, others reported an attack on their teams. However, there was a clear conclusive result – their main target had not been apprehended and most likely would not be._

* * *

"Master Dan, that was so awesome! Just watching you brawl sends shivers down my spine. I can't believe I just witnessed a Mechtogan summoning. I will never forget this opportunity, I'm so happy I could cry". That was exactly what Baron did. The poor thing was so psyched up, he was restless and in tears. "Calm down dude, don't embarrass yourself 'kay" said Ace. He too had witnessed the sparring match between Dan and Shun and was definitely impressed and subtly excited, though his ego wouldn't let him show it.

The team from Vestal had come for a visit and were delighted to find out that the brawlers were still going at it with their love for brawling and were still a team. The news of what had happened between Dan and the rest of the team had them concerned, based on what Keith had reported. His research into the elemental attributes of the Bakugan had sparked an interest into the Darkus attribute. Helios didn't mind the prospect of changing his attribute and was easily able to settle into using the new powers the element gave him. In Keith's case, his decision to change his brawling attribute was more in line of acknowledging Daniel Kuso as the best Pyrus brawler the universe had to offer. Having made his 'dramatic' attribute change, he received an alarming signal from Bakugan Interspace. There was so much interference that he figured the best way to know what was going on was to go there himself. Admittedly, what he saw when he arrived to help was far from what he had expected but thankfully everything was patched up – the brawlers remained a strong team.

At a point, he wondered about how a team of originally six people had grown to a point of stretching across dimensions and other worlds. He wondered about the team's leader, Dan Kuso. How a person could have a strong sense of justice but be willing to give, even his enemies, the benefit of the doubt was a mystery. Said leader gave most people, the first impression of being incapable of anything later to prove such observations as being so incorrect, one would wonder if it was the same person. The same person was who Keith was grateful to, for reuniting him with the light. The same person was who many people would be willing to assist, even if it meant fighting a power they couldn't comprehend.

* * *

" _I think we've lost them". A blonde haired male said whilst panting, his grey eyes were closed. It felt like he had run a marathon, unfortunately it wasn't for charity. His party consisted of seven people including himself. There were a set of male twins who seemed to base their fashion sense on being polar opposites. The older twin had long white hair in a ponytail and loved to wear black. His younger twin had short black hair that reached his neck and a flair for white accessories. They both however had crystal blue eyes. Sharp eyes that had the ability to search your soul and pierce into inner workings of the mind. There were also three friends who had grown up together, three girls. The oldest girl had strawberry blonde hair and a pair of brown eyes. Her hair was let loose and reached her waist. The next girl had shoulder length brown hair packed into low pigtails and hazel eyes to match. The final girl had peach pink hair that was done in ponytail braid that reached her back. Her eyes were a friendly tone of green._

" _We should keep moving, they might still be on our trail. Let's continue carefully 'till we reach the outskirts," they all nodded at the dark haired male who said this. He was wearing a hood but one could see strands of dark blue amidst the jet black hair. He was also wearing a golden headpiece that was partially covered by the hood. The only visibly striking features on his person were the strangely shaped pendant he was wearing and his heterochromatic eyes – crimson and brown._

* * *

"I'm so glad that you guys made up." Julie was randomly attached to Dan. Everyone who was a part of the "brawler" family had congregated at Marucho's house to relax and catch up. "Seriously Dan the Man. Even though everything is alright now, you guys should have told us or something. We could have helped," Jake was glad but a bit disappointed that he wasn't caught up to speed with everything that happened, even though he felt he could have easily gotten into interspace to help.

"We're sorry for worrying you" Dan said. Shun smiled and Marucho giggled. Dan then gave everyone his signature nose flick and grinned, "We're all good now".

* * *

" _Over there, don't let them escape!" The chants of their captors were like a haunting tone. The seven of them had had to break into a run not long after catching their breath. The blonde haired male suddenly stopped running and took a strand of his hair, immediately it became a long whip that was buzzing with electricity. "Kaname! What are you doing?!" Rin cried. His older twin brother Ren was running beside him when they both noticed Kaname had stopped to face the approaching enemy. Kaname knew what was at stake. He couldn't let them capture his friends. "Keep running, get away from here, I'll catch up"._

 _There was an air of uncertainty but the request was acknowledged. The remaining six kept running, keen to get out their captors' sights. As they were running they came to an overhanging cliff, unnoticed due to all the foliage. "Leave this to me" Rose said. Her pink hair swaying in the wind as the landscape changed, the canopy of trees below grew and formed a pathway connecting to the cliff. They ran through the newly formed path, hoping that the extensive foliage would cover them for a while._

 _There was suddenly the sound of sirens and primal growls. The chase had rapidly transformed. They could hear the approach closing in on them. The opening of the pathway was within reach. Just beyond that, there was hope for salvation. A hope._

* * *

"So that's how Baron finally moved out, he was crying while he signing the tenancy agreement", Mira explained but one could hear the laughter in her voice. Ace, Dan, Jake and Ren were already laughing. Introductions had been made and everyone felt comfortable with one another. "Since everyone is here, let's have a small party. I'll have my chef cook all kinds of treats and food" It was a suggestion well accepted. Marucho was just so glad to see all the people they had ever met. He remembered when he first found friends online and now he had friends from distant planets. He couldn't help but giggle, "I knew you guys would like that, tee hee,".

* * *

" _We won't let you take it", Megumi and Ame were standing to shield the hooded male. Megumi summoned a griffin-like beast, her brown eyes sharp and focused. Ame had stripped water from the air and the large torrents were swirling around her. They were close. They needed to get him to safety. In front of them, blocking them from their goal was the devil himself. His eyes hungrily glaring at the hooded boy beyond his reach. "Do whatever you must but bring the boy to me," he commanded his men. His men advanced towards the three of them. The other four had volunteered to watch their backs and keep them clear from their oppressors. Their efforts were futile, their enemies had already predicted their plans and had in a matter of minutes, surrounded them._

" _Stay away from us", Ame used her water to force them back while Megumi's beast attacked their enemies and their pets. "Did you think I wouldn't be prepared", the tyrant declared. "Shoot them both!" Two gunshots were heard but neither reached their intended recipients. On closer inspection, a force field was surrounding the three of them and a long shadow had quickly knocked away the remainder of the forces. "Sorry we're late" Ren and Rin panted. Close behind them were Rose and Kaname. All six of them assumed a fighting stance to protect their friend._

" _We won't let you take Kiyen."_

* * *

 **AN: I know it has been a rather long while but I hope you enjoyed this chapter and start of a new story. I want to complete this project and am truly excited about this story. In terms of updates, I will let you know once I know my schedule, I'm back in lectures this Monday so I might update every two weeks or so, depends. However as a treat, I'll also upload the second chapter which I hope you enjoy too.**

 **I'll also post this story on my tumblr page, so if you prefer the format there, you can check it out on my tumblr page (see Profile Bio).**

 **Rate, Review and see you next time.**


	2. Parallels in Time and Space

_**Summary: It's not a myth. The centre of the universe did exist. It's called the Nexus. A region spatially disconnected but governs all connections. The Nexus did exist until an evil force threatened the very balance of the whole universe. In order to protect itself, it destroyed its current host's physical body. The cost was the collapse of entire civilisation and the inevitable destruction of all stable physical relationships and connections. It's a race against the clock to counteract the consequences of a hasty decision. The brawlers are fated to assist in any way they can but not without strong opposition. Nothing can be done without a connection being made. The deciding factor now, is time and the answers they need seem to lie just out of their reach. (Inspired by Disney's Atlantis. Setting: After the events of MS arc 1)**_

* * *

The festivities were well under way. The atmosphere of the casual meeting quickly grew more accommodating and fun. Laughter and music; food and dancing. Those from Neathia and Gundalia were showing off their respective dance moves in a friendly dance war. The Vestals were commenting on similar aspects of their culture with Earth's. Soon it had become late and everyone helped in tidying up and were getting ready for bed. Outside, it had started to rain and it was really coming down, the best time to wrap up warm and fall asleep. To keep all the guests together in such a huge place, they agreed to share rooms close to one another. The rooms were big enough anyway. So the sleeping arrangements ended up being Dan, Shun and Ace in a room; Jake, Rafe and Ren; Keith, Gus and Baron; Mira, Fabia and Paige; and finally, Julie, Alice and Runo. It had been an eventful day and therefore tiring. It wasn't surprising to find that everyone had quickly fallen asleep, the sound of the heavy rain luring the whole house into a peaceful slumber, for now.

* * *

 _The Nexus was the name given to the dimensional region found at the centre of the universe. It was not just a place but supported a whole complex civilisation. The culture of the Nexai was built upon a sacred power. The power of Nexus was not clearly understood but it was known that it played a vital role in the connectivity of the whole universe. For example, physical encounters, geographical cycles, gravity, information, even human relationships, were all influenced by the power of the Nexus. For the benefits of research, it was normally called the connectivity power but it was far more complicated than that. For starters, said power behaved in such an unusual way, it was speculated to be sentient. Also, the conditions for wielding the power were not clear cut. Whatever was the source of the power, had decided it would only dwell in the souls of the Royal household and even amongst them it was particular with its desired host. It was the still a form of connection – the host had a soul composition that corresponded to the sentient nature of the nexus. The host was an unintended incarnation._

 _The power was deemed sacred and for periods of time, there would be no host. There was no pattern. The duration between consecutive hosts would range from one month to centuries. It also wasn't unheard of for there to be people covetous of the power. However, there was a particular person who couldn't be considered human. The man had learned about the Nexus more than he should have and was convinced that he should wield such power in order to conquer the world. A power he believed was his right to obtain. The means by which he was to go about it were still unclear but he knew he needed to gain access to the Nexus Oculum, the proposed point of convergence of the Nexus' energy. And in order to get to the Oculum, Akashi needed the host._

 _It wasn't long after he had concluded his right to power that he planned and eventually staged a coup against the reigning monarchy. It had come to his knowledge that the crown prince was the current bearer of the power. He had completely succeeded in eradicating the rest of the royal family but his prize had escaped. It had been a series of disappearing acts by the prince and quick sightings reported by clueless civilians that had led him to this final chase. Now the only things hindering him from obtaining his prize were the six other people who had pledged to protect their friend. Their backstories were of no concern to him. They were, in his eyes, useless._

* * *

Red brown eyes were staring at the ceiling. Dan knew he had slept for a few hours since they all turned in for the night. However, for some reason he was now wide awake. Every attempt to go back to sleep made him more restless, so he opted for just laying still and listening to the rain. It was still thundering out there. The rain normally calmed him, especially when he wanted to sleep but right now, he couldn't help but feel on his guard. It was a like an underlying feeling of distress, mixed with fear. Dan got up to splash some water on his face in hopes that the coolness of the water would refresh him. It had helped a bit and being careful not to wake anyone up, he made his way back to the window and sat on the large enough window sill to watch the rain. It was a few minutes when he noticed the discoloration of the sky, after which he had somehow left the waking world.

* * *

 _The sky had taken on alarming colours and the wind had subsequently picked up. Akashi was holding onto a spherical object in a vice like grip. The six friends were all immobilised and screaming in pain. "Reveal the path to the Oculum to me! Unless you want your friends to perish!". It couldn't be explained: Kaname, Ren, Rin, Rose, Megumi and Ame had all been dominating their enemies unleashing the full extent of their endowed powers. The armies of Nexai were completely powerless against the Six Guardians. They had all crossed paths with Kiyen in some way whilst they were young, their encounters sealing their fate. They were destined to protect him but in his eyes, these were his best friends. They saw it like that too, having all grown up together, one would think they were all siblings. That's why he couldn't bear to watch them suffer when they all started resonating with the object in Akashi's possession. He had never heard or seen such device before. "Stop it! Please! I'll do whatever you ask! Don't hurt them!"._

 _Kiyen walked up to Akashi, took off the pendant he wearing and presented it to him. "This is the key; it grants the wielder access to the Oculum". Akashi reached out to collect the pendant when he suddenly had second thoughts. He called one of the men beside him and told him to take the pendant from Kiyen. The man received the pendant but before he could give it to his boss, the pendant glowed a dangerous red and began to burn in the man's hand. In pain he let go of it and the necklace dropped to the ground. Red tendrils erupted from the man's hand and proceeded to do what could only be described as a devouring. Before long there was nothing left of the man, only what looked like blood that had stained the ground. Everyone who witnessed what had happened was speechless and a lot of the remainder of Akashi's forces steadily move back from the scene in fear. Akashi looked at the blood stain and lifted his gaze to the prince. Kiyen's eyes held his gaze steady but there were traces of shock in them. The prince had clearly not expected this outcome. Akashi was wary but with an air of confidence he made known his request, "You will take me to the Nexus Oculum."_

" _I'm afraid that I cannot help you in that regard, you seem to know more about the Nexus than a majority of us. I have never been to the Oculum and the method for gaining entrance has never been revealed to me". The prince's answer was even more surprising. This answer, however, was not satisfying. "All the more reason why I should wield the power of the Nexus, you are unworthy of it!" Akashi stated as he tightened his grip on the spherical device. The six guardians screamed in pain. Akashi considered delivering the fatal blow but then he took notice of the pendant. The shape was that of two concentric gold circles. The innermost circle surrounded a faceted purple crystal. The area between the circles had six circles set equally spaced round about. Each small circle contained a coloured gem. Akashi released his hold from the device, commanded his men to capture the seven of them and said, "we're going to the Nexus". The prince allowed for his capture as a struggle would be futile but he feared for what was to come. He knew that there was a reason why the information was withheld from him and he hoped that the consequences were not dire._

 _They came to the remains of the Royal Court Chambers. That was when the prince realised the same pattern in the design of the place. He had been disallowed from coming here after an incident. There was an inner and outer chamber and connecting the two, six paths. Given the known preferences for a host; the Oculum should theoretically be situated under the protection of the Royal Household. The seven of them were led to the centre of the courtyard under Akashi's instructions. "I know you now know what you need to do, take us to the Oculum". Kiyen was slightly sceptical at the insight into the power of the Nexus that Akashi had but he preferred not to have his guardians suffer anymore. "Only those that wish to follow should stay within the inner circle but away from this centre pattern, the guardians must stand in the pathway that corresponds to their power. I will stay in the centre." All of this was done. Kaname was went to stand on the yellow path; Ren on the white one, his brother Rin was on the black path; Megumi was on the red path; Ame was on the blue and Rose was on the green. Once this arrangement was done, Akashi and a few of his men remained within the inner circle. The rest were commanded to secure the area. Soon after, the area of the courtyard began to glow as the pendant did. There was suddenly a purple beam erupting from the centre where Kiyen was. His eyes were now a deep crimson and the outline of the pendant and their colours could be faintly seen in them._

 _Kaname looked towards Kiyen. He desperately hoped that Kiyen knew what he was doing. He was yet to recover from whatever Akashi had done to them but that didn't mean he liked the idea of the prince obliging to this mad man. His intuition about the Nexus had saved him from a deserving death and had led him to the physical representation of the portal to the Oculum. This man knew more than what was necessary and it frightened him slightly. There was a sudden flash of lilac and the next thing Kaname knew was that he was no longer in the courtyard. All the six guardians, Kiyen, Akashi and his men were now floating in what looked like an illuminated cavern with strange markings on the walls, it was like being inside of a sphere. Right above them and below them, trails of energy were flowing towards the centre of the cavern where a huge ball of randomly coloured energy was hovering. The sight was unbelievable. "At last, the Nexus Oculum"._

 _As Akashi approached the ball of energy, he took the device that he had used to suppress the guardians and it began to glow orange. The Nexus energy began to enter the device, "Finally, I will have the power to control.". Then things went downhill, there was suddenly a surge of energy and the device shorted out. "You are threat to the Nexus. The knowledge you have is not of this spatial dimension. Your heart harbours selfishness and greed. The scale was set and you have upset it. The mind of the Nexus has deemed you unworthy!". The voice sounded like a unison of various voices but there weren't that many people. All eyes went to the source. Kiyen's consciousness had been taken over by the Nexus. His eyes were glowing lilac and a dark blue aura was emanating from him. "I have obtained forbidden knowledge as per my right. It has been my destiny!". The device in Akashi's hand suddenly transformed and fused with him. The result was unexpected. A monster was what he was. He wasn't human. The fusion brought forth a serpent like creature and it shouted, "I'll devour the Nexus!"._

* * *

The rain had stopped by the morning. Everyone in the Marukura house was greeted with the lingering dampness left in the air. "Master Marucho has requested that I inform everyone that breakfast is ready, please come down to the dining hall" Kato's voice sounded over the in-house PA system. The breakfast was like a banquet. The food ranged from croissants to sausages; cakes to pudding. It was truly a sight to behold for the average person; a normal day for the Marukura household. As they all settled to eat; they noticed that one person was missing. "Has anyone seen Dan this morning?", Alice asked. "Didn't he share a room with Ace and Shun?".

Ace spoke up, "I haven't seen him this morning. He wasn't in his bed by the time I woke up, I just figured he had come down." All eyes went to Shun, expecting him to say something. "I haven't seen him either". Before any of them could remark, Daniel came into the Dining Hall. "Is something wrong?", he said when they all stared at him. Runo stood up and hit him upside the head. "Ow! What was that for?!". "Where have you been?", she asked him. "What are you talking about? Did I miss something?". Alice intervened, "It's nothing. We were just wondering where you were since nobody had seen you this morning". Dan looked confusedly at her and replied, "I went for a morning jog." He sat down on an empty seat and began to serve himself.


	3. Desires of the Heart

**"We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects."- Herman Melville**

* * *

 _The tremors were terrifying. It felt like the whole place was going to collapse in on itself. Akashi had viciously bit into the ball of energy and was attempting to completely absorb it. Nothing could be done. The shockwaves from the centre were preventing any of those present to approach Akashi to stop him. The ball of energy started to glow fiery orange like the spherical device. All the markings on the walls started to glow and bleed. The strangest thing began to occur: the markings began to warp and change. The walls of the cavern faded to reveal that they were back in the courtyard. The ball of energy and the parasitic serpent started to rise into the air. The spectacle unmissed by the rest of the Akashi's men and the Nexai. The shockwaves were still coming and met with building structures, tearing them apart. The ground cracking as a result of the tremors. There were screams everywhere, people running away to find safety. The very light of their existence was being ripped apart by a malevolent beast. Their city was being ripped apart._

 _Kiyen and his guardians were quick on their feet. It was no time to be staring in disbelief. They needed to help the people to safety. "Head for the outskirts, away from the capital! Move it people, come on!", Kaname shouted. Ren created force-field tunnels heading away from the capital for people to run in to escape the falling debris. Rose sealed the ground where the tunnels were to stop them cracking. Rin's shadow was shattering the falling debris into powders. Megumi summoned a flying beast and commanded it to take the disabled and elderly. Kaname and Ame were attacking the serpent in an attempt to stop its attack on the Oculum. Kaname gathered his energy and was shooting laser beams, Ame was using water to form a claw to wrap around the serpent and pull it away from its attachment. She also caused the air to push against the serpent in hopes of sweeping it away. Some of what was left of the royal soldiers arrived at the scene and were trying to escort the crown prince away. Kiyen didn't want to leave, he wanted to make sure that everyone got to safety and that included his friends. He felt useless. He couldn't do anything to help. He couldn't just run away. He was the prince. His people needed him, his city needed him and as the host, the Nexus needed him. He felt powerless, but that was until he witnessed the last thing he would ever see: A young boy was running and in all the panic had been separated from his family. There was then a massive tremor and thick trails of orange energy erupted from random places in the ground, dissolving anything they touched upon contact. A trail erupted beneath the young boy, completely disintegrating him._

* * *

The breakfast table was now livelier, the earlier concerns completely fading. It was as they were eating that the sound of thunder became audible. "It looks like we're going to have another storm," Jake commented, "It's sounds pretty intense." Suddenly, the sounds of dogs barking and sirens had them on alert. "Master Marucho, there's an urgent live news report. I'll put it up on the screen". The only reply Kato heard after he activated the dining hall's large television were shocked gasps.

The sky had the same discoloration it had last night when Dan woke up. He recognised it but now it was active with sparks of orange lightning. "…. the meteorological centre has issued a red alert warning. People are to stay in their homes or offices…", the large television screen supplied. Within the hour, the wind was harsh and the rain poured down unforgivingly. "I hope the storm passes over soon", Julie sighed. "I'm guessing you guys don't normally have storms like these," Rafe commented. "It's actually quite strange to be honest," Alice answered.

* * *

" _Kiyen! Kiyen!". The crown prince had started screaming in pain. Kaname came running, asking what had happened. The others were still evacuating but were slightly distracted by the prince's cries. Kiyen was holding onto his head, almost pulling on his hair. Kaname was trying comfort him but to no avail. There was monstrous cry. The serpent had started burning, the scorch marks enlarging and engulfing the creature. "I will not fail; this power will be mine!" cried the serpent. Tendrils erupted from the Oculum and attached themselves to the serpent, pulling it in. The Oculum glowed orange and slowly changed to purple. The key's central crystal also glowing in resonance on Kiyen's neck. Kiyen's eyes dimmed, his body emitting a purple aura. The royal soldiers were forced back by an invisible force. They couldn't touch him. Kiyen turned around and walked back to the courtyard and stood directly under the Oculum:_ _ **"Protect the People;**_

 _His hood was blown back as power surged from the Oculum into him, His bluish black hair coming into view. Shoulder length hair with a side fringe, swaying from the air currents. His gold headpiece separating his hair. The six guardians felt a painful tug within themselves. Their powers were removed from their bodies and right in front of their eyes, entered into their respective areas on the Key._

 _ **Protect the City;**_

 _Kiyen lifted his hands and a halo of energy surged through the land, completely clearing the debris, healing the ground and ceasing the tremors. Then Kiyen's eyes glowed their respective heterochromatic colour. Similar markings like those found in the cavern appeared on Kiyen's skin. The same markings appeared on the Serpent before it was absorbed into the Oculum forming a red stain upon entry. "It is not safe, disconnect all information, disconnect from all" the voices of the Nexus cried. Trails of energy came out of the Oculum and attached themselves to Kiyen._

 _ **Protect the Nexus;**_

" _No! Stop it! Leave him alone!" The six guardians had assembled as close as they could to the courtyard and most of the population were watching. The shear amount of power coming out was like nothing they had ever felt before. It was paralysing. The energy slowly pulled the Oculum towards Kiyen on the ground. "Remove all connections, the universe is unbalanced!". No matter how hard they tried, none of the six could get close enough to rescue Kiyen. "The scale has been corrupted. In order to save, we must destroy." In order to balance the scale, life had to be given, for it to be saved._

 _Kaname called out for Kiyen to snap out of it but it was too late. The Oculum completely merged with Kiyen, his pendant glowing. Shimmering tears fell from his face and he smiled sadly, "I want to protect them all; the ones I care about". It was barely audible but each guardian heard it. A final shockwave and a burst of light. The Oculum was gone and had taken Kiyen with it. The only thing that was left was an orb of light that immediately took off into the darkening sky with a fading voice saying:_

" _ **Protect them all…. please".**_

* * *

 **AN: I hope you guys liked this chapter. I apologize if it's short but think of it as an appetizer to wet your taste buds for what's going to happen next. I think I will be updating this story fortnightly. I'll love to know what you think of this chapter and the story so far. Have a lovely weekend. :)**


	4. The Common Enemy

**"When we know ourselves to be connected to all others, acting compassionately is simply the natural thing to do. "- Rachel Naomi Remen**

* * *

The storm was getting more vicious by the second. The orange lighting was striking the ground randomly, hitting telephone masts, charring asphalt, igniting the parks. It was almost chaos but he still ran out. Despite the warnings, he still ran towards the centre of the storm. Even with the shouts of others to get back inside, he still ran into the chaotic weather. He heard it. It was his voice but not him. He felt sadness but it was not his. He heard his plea and realised that he had to do something. Dan had taken Drago with him and was running towards the eye of the storm, narrowly missing sparks of lighting and other hazards influenced by the weather. The brawlers had screamed for him to get back inside but he couldn't turn around. He felt compelled to run, to do this. Even he was scared of what could happen and was conflicted within himself. There was something going on and he couldn't ignore it.

Realising the crazy thing, his best friend had done. Shun was now compelled to go after the boy. He knew that there had to be a reason but reasons could wait. A hasty decision was the worst course of action to take right now. Shun ran into the storm following Dan's lead. He had Taylean with him. He didn't care for explanations right now, he fully intended to drag that impulsive boy back to the house, back to safety.

The rest of the brawlers looked in disbelief. Dan had suddenly taken off and Shun went to bring him back. The storm was growing. Their attentions shifted when they heard the news report state that two boys were seen running in the rain. The news agency had sent in drones to keep the broadcasted visuals of the storm possible. The drones had sighted the boys and now they were giving a live coverage of the incident.

"Dan! Hey Dan!" Shun had caught up to where the boy was. The winds were howling; it was hard to hear or be heard. He grabbed Dan's hand as the rain went wild. "Come on! What do you think you're doing?!". Dan didn't reply, he gaze was at the approaching centre of the storm. "We need to move before the storm reaches us! Dan!". Dan was still not paying attention. Shun was ready to just carry him and make a run for it. He was about to when Dan outstretched his arm, holding Drago. Drago was thrown directly into the approaching centre. "Bakugan Brawl! Drago stand!"

"What!"

* * *

Shun and nearly everybody watching the news had witnessed Dan throwing his bakugan into the storm. Red energy flashed and Drago flew out of the centre but was not alone. There was a serpent like creature that was fighting with Drago.

Initially, Drago was concerned when Dan suddenly picked him and ran into the rain and even mad when he was randomly thrown. However, he couldn't deny that he was surprised that he had his original battle form and saw a beast like form in the clouds, _'He must have something to do with storm'_ was the last thing Drago thought before he was suddenly attacked by this mysterious creature. "Dan, answer me! What's going on?!" Shun was staring in disbelief at his friend. His friend's lively eyes were dim, like there was no life in them. His friend pulled out an ability card: "Ability Activate! Dragon Core Striker!".

With Drago's ability in effect, the creature was paralysed by the outburst of energy and fell out of the sky unto the ground. The creature's descent went unmissed by the viewing population. It wasn't like a bakugan at all. It was black but had red and blue markings. The serpent stood up and was preparing to attack Drago when its gaze wandered over to the two boys standing at a distance. One of the boys immediately caught its attention. It was faint but clear enough to hear, _Kiyen._

The serpent ignored his current opponent and made its way towards the two brawlers. "Give me what rightfully belongs to me!" it said right before it charged at them. Shun quickly threw Taylean towards the centre of the storm. Taylean also came out of his ball form and intercepted the approaching enemy. "Ability Activate! Ninja Grenade!". A glowing twine wrapped itself around the serpent and immediately detonated. However, as the dust cleared, the serpent looked unfazed, not a scratch was on its body. Its markings started to glow and it resumed its approach. Its gaze fell upon Dan. "You have it! It is mine!". With that final outburst it charged directly at Dan. Shun grabbed Dan just in time and moved them to the top of the nearest skyscraper too quick for the eyes to see. They could still see their Bakugan and the invader from their vantage point but Shun hoped that they weren't spotted soon. Dan's eyes were still in a daze. Shun shook his friend in an attempt to snap his friend back to reality.

Now, that its prize had fled from its sight, the serpent was even more agitated and was in a brutal battle with Drago and Taylean. "The power of the Nexus belongs to me!". "We don't have such a power here, leave!" Drago snapped back. _'This monster had just suddenly directed its attack on Dan upon sight, what does it want?'_. Drago's question was left unanswered when the serpent fired an attack right above its head into the eye of the storm. The sky had visible ripples and tremors began to destroy the city. The orange lightning increased in intensity and struck both Taylean and Drago critically disabling them. They transformed back into their ball forms and fell onto the ground like marbles. The serpent let out a loud roar which shattered all the nearby glass. The skyscraper that Shun and Dan were on, started to shake. "Give it to me!" the serpent roared and once again its markings started to glow, it raised its head towards the sky, energy filled its mouth, ready to fire another attack at the sky.

"Oh my gosh guys, what are we supposed to do?!" Julie and the others were watching the live feed from the storm. It was lucky that the drones were still able to send data. The news feed had shown the rampage of the malevolent beast. "I hope the guys are okay".

Shun was at his wit's end, his friend was unresponsive and there was a rampaging beast to take care of. "Dan, come on. Answer me!". The attack was fired and the sky went frighteningly dark. There were incoming reports of similar phenomena occurring all over the world. The ground was breaking apart, the winds sliced through structures, the rain paralysed all movements and the lightning vaporised anything it touched. It was like the world was being ripped apart.

' _I want to protect them all; the ones I care about'._ Dan looked up to see a concerned Shun. His eyes slowly regained their colour and he stood up still ignoring Shun. He turned to look in the direction of the serpent and saw the two bakupearls that laid on the broken ground not too far from it. "Why are you here?" he started calmly. The serpent turned around to face the source of the voice. Once it saw Dan he yelled again, "The power of the Nexus, give it to me!".

"Dan, what are you doing?" Shun asked his friend. The serpent was advancing towards them and his friend looked like he was going to stand his ground. The weather wasn't helping at all, it literally looked like the world was going to end. The serpent roared once it reached the battered skyscraper, the soundwaves disabling all the news drones. The live feed was now offline to the home viewers. The monster raised it head and levelled its sight onto Dan. Shun was about to grab Dan and get themselves away from the beast, when Dan took a step forward in confrontation. "Such a power doesn't exist".

Even though they had lost their means of watching what was going on, the roaring of the beast was audible enough to hear in Marucho's place. The serpent sounded angry and they were now concerned about their friends that had taken to the rain especially Dan, he seemed to be one the monster was aiming for right before their connection was cut.

The rain was coming down heavier now; it was like there was no limit to it. The only sound you could hear was white noise, everything there was to see was a blur, nothing was dry. It was terrifying. Dan looked up at the roaring serpent and spoke to it again, "The power you seek doesn't exist, leave." The serpent directed its attack at Dan in anger and released it. The attack dissipated before it reached Dan. Shun was observing everything and was in shock. The serpent in a fit of rage, started to release all manners of attacks towards them but they and the building they were standing on remained untouched. Shun still thought it was best to get away while they could and reached out to touch Dan. He withdrew his hand immediately, his friend was unbearably hot and the air currents around him became violent. _**"I will protect these people".**_

The serpent started screaming in agony, its markings glowing and then bleeding. Dan's eyes became a heterochromatic hue. The weather started to ease up until it was clear skies. Drago and Taylean returned to their battle forms and were strengthened again. _**"I will protect these cities"**_. Dan raised his hands and a blue halo surged through the atmosphere, the cracked ground began to heal, the fried flora was revitalised and waterlogged areas became dry. Communications were back up and everything returned back to before the storm. Shun was watching everything that was happening and couldn't believe his eyes. The serpent was almost completely paralysed when Dan pulled out an ability card, "Ability Activate! Dragon Hard Striker!". Drago was all too happy to carry out the attack. The serpent made a final cry before visibly disintegrating. The battle over, both bakugan returned to their owners' hands and they all watched the serpent fall apart. By now, the drones had come back online and all the viewers had witnessed Drago's final attack and the beast disintegrating to their relief, they also witnessed the final words of said monster.

The serpent looked viciously at Dan and Shun and then laughed. "That power did exist. A power from the centre of all things; where connections are linked. Its existence endangered the very ones who tried to protect it. The power was unruly and untamed. Unfit for even its own preferred host. But I was not fooled by it pretence. The power in its sealed state was selfish and destructive, weak and cowardly." The serpent was almost completely gone, "I was born from the inward desire of a man to be powerful, to be independent, to be ruler. I knew things others didn't. The Nexus couldn't comprehend the desire of an individual from the whole. It dictated the lives of countless beings. However, I understand the state of things now and I cannot but pity you. It must have brought me here to be destroyed but know this, it will not hesitate to destroy everything to save itself. It is only a matter of time." The serpent presence finally diminished, its final words were left to linger in the air.

Dan returned to normal and would have collapsed onto the floor if Shun hadn't caught him in time. Exhaustion washed over him and he fell into a slumber. His best friend carried him home where worried looks awaited them. Shun couldn't answer their concerned questions. He couldn't even pay much attention. His thoughts were all occupied with the strange things he had witnessed and couldn't make sense of. His own questions were piling up and he hoped that the sleeping brunette would answer them all.

" _ **I will protect them all".**_

* * *

 **AN: Hiya guys, hope you enjoyed this chapter and hungry for more. Let me know what you think or if you have any theories as to what might be going on. :)**

 **Rate, Review and I'll see you soon.**

 **\\(^o^)/**


	5. Hidden

" **The emotions we try to hide are more exposed than we realise."**

* * *

Dan woke up a week after collapsing. Even though the brawlers wanted to give him time to recuperate properly, their curiosity lacked the virtue of patience. They all wanted to know what had happened and why. Dan was bombarded with questions the second day. The questions ranged from 'what were you thinking!?' to 'how did you stop the monster?'.

Dan admitted that he couldn't answer any of the questions and that he could hardly remember anything. He explained that he recalled running into the approaching storm and then after that he couldn't remember anything else that had happened. Luckily, there was an uploaded video of the news for that day and Dan could watch most of what happened after he ran into the rain. He commented that he had never seen the serpent before and that he didn't know how he knew that brawling would work. Dan was glad that the serpent was defeated and was concerned when he heard the final words of their opponent but was more relaxed now that he knew most of what had escaped his mind. The details of which, were only witnessed by one person – Shun.

Not long afterwards, things returned to normal as much as possible. It was hard to forget what had happened even though all the evidence of it was gone. It had been a month since the strange incident occurred. However, a lot of people managed it and went about their daily lives. To them they presumed the battle was won. They had no idea it had just begun.

"Good evening Grandfather, how are you? I'm fine thank you. What do you mean? No, he doesn't. Would you like me to inform them? Okay, I will. Please take of yourself, goodnight." Alice hung up the phone. She called to check on her grandfather since he was in Moscow alone. The conversation had some disturbing news. He told her that he received a signal he had never seen before, a while back. It had a multidimensional signature but the coordinates of the source were complex. He was having trouble deciphering it until that strange global occurrence. There was a similar signature that had appeared and then faded. When he compared the disappearing signal with the one he was studying he was able to calculate the coordinates of its original source. The disappearing signal was the residual energy from the destroyed serpent. Dr. Michael had calculated where it had come from. The problem was that the supposed coordinates he obtained, when he mapped them, didn't correspond to anywhere. The coordinates were to a place that didn't exist. The numbers seemed to be invalid. Dr. Michael watched the video clip of serpent's defeat after hitting this roadblock just to see if there was anything he had missed. He had. The serpent's final words confirmed his suspicions. He was dealing with something that didn't exist in their dimension.

Alice told the rest of the brawlers about what her grandfather had told her. It was unnerving to hear. "What do you mean a place that doesn't exist?" Ren asked. "How would you get its coordinates?" "My grandfather didn't explain to me how he got the coordinates but it's safe to say that it would be a similar method to when he stumbled upon Vestroia about six years ago. The actual concern is that these coordinates have no physical place." Alice replied.

"Would it be possible for your grandfather to have made a mistake in the calculations?" Runo suggested. "I thought so too when he first mentioned it, but I know my grandfather wouldn't have told me if he wasn't sure that his calculations were right. He said he watched the video clip from that day just to see if there was anything that he had missed or didn't consider." Alice responded. "He said that the serpent had mentioned there being a non-existent power that had brought it here intentionally".

"Perhaps, that place existed momentarily. Long enough to send the serpent here if that's the case." Keith proposed. "But for what reason would it send it here and why is it gone now?". No one knew the answer. After a moment of thoughtful silence, Alice remembered something. "My grandfather also asked about you Dan." Dan looked at her confused. "He asked me if you knew anything about the serpent and I told him you didn't but he also told me to ask you if there was anything that caused you to take off into the rain, for example, did you hear or see anything?". Dan thought about it and tried to recollect how he felt when he ran into the rain. "I remember hearing my own voice". With that he grabbed everyone's attention and he continued, "But it was weird, it couldn't have been me. It was desperate, sad and compelling. I could feel all these emotions in me. It felt like it was encouraging me to do something to help but after that it gradually became a blur". "What did the voice say?" Paige spoke up. Dan thought carefully, "It said…protect them all please."

* * *

"It asked you to protect? Who was it referring to", Dr. Michael was video chatting with the rest of the brawlers. They felt they should all hear about Dr. Michael's discovery from himself and discuss it and the recent happenings. "I don't know. It's only a guess but I assume it meant everyone." Dan answered. After explaining to the brawlers, Alice felt it was best for him to tell her grandfather personally which led to this interrogative session. "Thank you for that Dan. Is there anything else you remember; how did you defeat the beast?". "I vaguely recall calling out an ability card but that's about it, I don't know what happened." "Did Shun see anything?" Dr. Michael asked. "He ran after you, didn't he?". Shun shook his head and said that he couldn't tell what was happening because of how heavy the rain was. Dr. Michael voiced his understanding. "I'll keep researching and keep you children up to date but don't hesitate to tell me anything you think might be key." With that the video conference was over and Dr. Michael signed off.

Later that day, the brawlers were trying their best to play detective and see if they could spot anything that could help Doctor Michael. While everyone was engrossed in their own method of sleuthing, Shun went over to Dan and asked him to come with him to check something out. Dan obliged and followed him to the balcony of their shared room. "What's up?" Dan asked. "Earlier today, I told Doctor Michael that I didn't see what happened. It wasn't a complete lie. It was pretty hard to make out anything in that storm but I do know what happened." Shun answered.

"So why didn't you mention this to the Doctor?" Dan inquired. "He said he needed any information that might help!". "I didn't tell him because it had to do with you." Dan looked at his friend puzzled. "Hear me out, when I finally caught up with you, you weren't even listening to me. It was like you were in a trance. You suddenly threw Drago into the storm and started brawling. Dan, you mentioned yourself that you couldn't remember what had happened, admit it, you were somewhat relieved to see the video but you're still concerned aren't you. You were doing stuff that you didn't remember but you accepted what you saw as if it was normal."

Dan took his gaze away from his friend. Shun continued, "You're scared and confused right now. No matter how much you try to hide it. That's why I wanted to tell you what had happened when the live feed was lost, first." Dan returned his gaze back to his friend. He was right to say he was scared, he saw the video and he couldn't remember doing any of those things. It scared him that he had ran into a storm and then woken up in bed a week after. It disorientated him. But he knew he wanted to know what had happened those few private minutes, even if he couldn't remember it.

"Alright then, tell me what happened."

* * *

 **AN: Here's another chapter for you guys.**

 **Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Let me know what you think of the plot and the writing style. I've finished some work which means I have a little bit more time. I already have the next few chapters written and I'm in a good mood, soooooooooo…...I'll like to hear from you guys whether you'll like me to upload the next chapter quicker than my normal upload schedule or if you'd rather wait for two weeks and enjoy the suspense.**

 **Rate, Review and See ya Soon.**


	6. Knowing the Unknown

" _ **Most times, the things that we are searching for, are right in front of our eyes."**_

* * *

Shun looked towards the setting sun. Then he started, "After I moved us to the top of the skyscraper, you were still not responding to me. I tried to talk to you, to get you out of there but you ignored me. The serpent initially aimed at you when we were still on the ground and was searching for you. I was prepared to just carry you away regardless." Dan also turned his gaze to the setting sun. "Suddenly, you looked up and spoke directly to the serpent. It was demanding that a power should be given to it. You replied and made it angrier. It hurdled attacks at us and at the building but none of them affected us. At this point, I tried once again to get us away but I couldn't touch you." The sun was almost completely set and twilight was approaching.

"Your eyes became heterochromatic. One was red and the other brown. Then, the weather started to ease up and the serpent began to scream in agony. You raised up your arms and a blue halo surged through the atmosphere. Everything began to return to its state before the storm. You then called out an ability and that's when Drago dealt the finishing blow. Defeated, the serpent laughed at us and made those concerning statements before completely disintegrating." Shun finished his recount of the event.

There was silence as Dan took in what he just heard. "But that's not all, is it?" Dan hesitated to ask.

Shun had a concerned look on his face, unsure if he should say what was weighing on his mind. "The serpent was searching for this power and was by all means, determined to get it. Dr. Michael also said that the serpent's statements confirmed his suspicions about a non-existing entity. But the thing is, the serpent had no prior knowledge of the power not existing anymore." Both of them were watching the other.

"The one who knew was you. The reason the serpent went into a fit of rage and haphazardly attacked us was because…." Shun completely faced Dan. "You told it that the power it was seeking no longer existed."

"That doesn't make any sense," Dan couldn't believe what he had just heard. "I know nothing about what's going on; how could I have made a claim like that?". Shun replied him, "I'm sorry Dan but I have a feeling that that's not the case anymore. Nobody knows what's going on or has the slightest hint why. Nobody except you." Dan shook his head in disbelief; he couldn't agree with Shun. He wasn't hiding anything, why should he? Why was Shun implying that he had the knowledge they needed to make sense of everything? Wasn't it enough that he was afraid of the fact that he couldn't remember anything that he had clearly done?

Shun saw his friend's discomfort at his words, "Dan, please understand. I'm not accusing you of withholding information. All I'm trying to say is that, the answers we might need lie with you. It could even be in the form of a memory, vision or a dream. Something that only you …."

"Enough!" Dan shouted. "No Shun, I don't understand! What exactly is special about me that only I can give the answers to these mysterious occurrences? I've already told you I don't know anything, what more do you want?" Dan took a deep breath to calm himself. He turned to walk back inside, "I'm out of here." He had yet to reach the door to the corridor when Shun grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Let go of me," he said calmly. He moved his arm to get out of Shun's grip but the latter held on tighter. "Let go of me," Dan warned.

Shun replied, "I won't. Dan look at me". Dan didn't and Shun sighed but continued, "on that day, most of us thought the world was going to end but you saved everyone. Don't you get it, whatever we're searching for has to do with you! Look, if I had told Dr. Michael this when he asked, he would have thought the same thing.

Dan turned to face him, "But you're not Dr. Michael! I don't care whatever theories might come up but I'm fed up and tired of this. You're supposed to be my friend. Why are you saying stuff like this? Like you don't trust my words. Like you don't even know me."

Shun's reaction betrayed him. He remembered how Dan was acting back then and realized that the person then, lacked the normal presence his friend usually had. It was Dan's cold voice that brought him back to the present, "I thought so, let go of my arm Shun." Dan pulled his arm out his grip and ran out the room, leaving a shocked Shun. Shun stared at the door for a while, gathering his thoughts. He went and sat on his bed, his back resting against the wall. It was now dark outside, so the automatic landing lights came on, casting a faint glow onto his bed. Shun smiled solemnly and whispered to himself, "It's because I'm your friend but really, who are you?"

* * *

It was painful. He knew what Shun was saying and understood where he was coming from but it was too much to handle. He confronted the monster and stopped it? How? How did he know what kind of power the serpent was demanding for? Where did the knowledge of these things come from? Why couldn't he remember anything now? Dan sat outside in the rooftop rose garden.

The night air was crisp and clean. It was what he needed right now. He needed to think. Shun's revelation left him more confused and afraid. Everyone was inside, including the bakugan. It was just him outside alone. The breeze was calming and after a while, Dan found himself not thinking about anything, in particular. What was there to think about or worry over? Like he had told everyone, he couldn't remember anything save for calling out an ability. Based on what he saw in the video, he had used two abilities. However, he only remembered one instance. There was also that unusual plea, the one that was in his own voice. "Protect them?" He said to himself, "I wish I knew who, how and why."

'… _ **The ones I care about.'**_

Dan looked around, he heard it but where did it come from. Who answered him? Dan cautiously walked around the Rose garden, "Who's up here? Marucho? Shun? Kato? Anyone?" _**'… protect them all; the ones I care about.'**_ "Where are you? Why? What's going on?" Dan asked. There was no answer. As Dan was searching around for the source of the voice, he noticed something reflecting on the greenhouse glass so he walked into the greenhouse and spoke into the silence, "hello? Is anyone in here?"

* * *

Shun came down after a while and met the others relaxing in the dining room with some cool refreshments. "Has Dan come down here?" "No he hasn't. Did something happen?" Fabia replied. Shun sighed, "kind of."

"Whatever it is, don't worry about it, Dan's gonna come down soon, it's almost dinner time." Mira said. There was a distant sound of thunder, "I hope it's not another storm," Julie cried. "My hair cannot take all this humidity!" Just then Alice's phone rang, "It's my grandfather." She picked it up, "Good evening grandfather, how are… another signal? Where? Really! No Dan isn't here. We'll go there right now. Thank you grandfather, bye." Alice turned to her friends, "My grandfather said he just received another signal and the coordinates are right above, in Marucho's rose garden!"

What was he seeing? People running in panic. They were screaming looking for shelter. Then six people were suddenly assisting these people in superhuman ways. What were they running from? What happened? Dan tried to make sense of the images that were flashing across the wide glass. It was like watching an old movie from a projector. There were so many different voices to make out but there were a few distinct ones:

" _ **We need to get them to safety."**_


	7. Mind Blown

" _ **If you can accept the indescribable nature of your true identity, you unveil the mystery of life."-**_ _**Akemi G**_

* * *

The brawlers made their way up to the rose garden. They finally had a chance of getting any info that could help them make sense of recent events and/or whether they were to be genuinely concerned for the future. As they reached the rose garden, there did not seem to be anything happening. It was quiet and uneventful. "So much for finding any useful leads," Paige stated. "We really don't need anything that might result in a wild goose chase." There was nothing up here. "Maybe your grandfather got the coordinates wrong?" Mira asked. "I don't know, he seemed so sure," was the reply.

Since, it seemed like they had lost their potential lead, the brawlers began to return into the building. Suddenly, thunder roared. It roared so loud, it left their ears ringing. It was then that they figured something was going to happen but they couldn't stay outside under the mercy of the weather. So Marucho suggested that they should all go into the greenhouse. That way, they would still get some protection and witness whatever was going to occur. They all agreed and ran into the nearby greenhouse.

"I never knew you had a greenhouse, Marucho! The flowers in here are so beautiful" Fabia's eyes sparkled as they wondered from potted plant to tree. "Hey, isn't that Dan over there?" Sure enough, Dan was facing a glass window at the far end of the greenhouse. He wasn't moving but seemed to be looking intently at something that they couldn't see. "Dan the man! What are you doing over there?" Jake shouted. "Hey! Maybe he can't hear me from there."

Shun walked away from the group towards Dan. He had a strong feeling that something strange was happening again and his friend was caught in the middle of it. He was not wrong. As he was about to call his friend, he noticed the moving images on the glass but there was no sound. "Um guys, you should come and see this," Shun called. The brawlers came towards Shun with inquisitive looks. Their expressions quickly changed to ones of shock. Right in front of them they saw scenes of peril and disaster. It was upsetting to look at. Especially where a young child was instantly killed. "Dan, do you know what's going on?" Marucho walked to the silent boy. Dan was so focused he hadn't realised that he had company. The visuals and the sounds that he was witnessing made him feel like he had been physically transported to this panic-stricken place. "Dan, please answer us," Alice pleaded. Shun looked towards his best friend and then towards the glass. There was a young boy standing underneath a brilliantly coloured ball of energy. Energy surging through the air surrounding him. He looked so sorrowful yet held an air of responsibility and acceptance. Like he expected something to happen to him. The rest of the brawlers saw this too. "Who is that?" someone asked.

The young male disappeared right in front their eyes with a flash of light and a small orb of light drifted away. But they all heard his final words. The words that had been concerning them for a while. They finally knew who it was asking for help, whether it was meant to be theirs or not. They had finally witnessed the events that had sent that serpent to their world even though having an idea of what was being said would have helped too.

"Finally! Something to work with but we still need to investigate some more," Ren said. "Yes but I can't help but wonder what happened to that young man. Did he die?" Gus spoke up. "Both he and the serpent were completely absorbed by that ball of energy. The serpent came here; do you think the young male is also on earth?" The question had them thinking, if they could find the young man, they might just get all the answers they need. "But how do we start looking for him?" Keith asked. "We have nothing that could be a potential lead." The sounds of disappointment were evident. It seemed that they had approached another dead end.

"Actually, we do have a lead," Shun suddenly commented. Everyone looked at him expecting him to explain himself. "Dan, are you with us?" Dan blinked as though he had come out of a trance and turned to look at Shun. "Let's all go inside and I'll explain," Shun finished. There was a slight air of awkwardness as everyone made their way to the living room. "Perhaps we should call Dr. Michael as we discuss, just to inform him of our findings." Rafe suggested. So Dr. Michael was placed on a video call while the brawlers arranged themselves to discuss their recent findings. "So what did you kids find? Anything substantial?" the scientist inquired.

"When we first arrived at the rose garden there wasn't anything going on. It was so quiet that we almost doubted there being any useful information that we could retrieve. We were about to return back into the building when the sound of thunder caught us off guard. It was then that we realised that something was about to happen there so in order to stay protected and still have a clear view of the garden, we all went into the greenhouse. That's where we met Dan and he was staring at something, completely focused on it. So we went up to him and saw what could only be described as scenes from a disastrous occurrence. The place was not familiar; neither did anything we see, resemble any documented events or urban myths. But we all heard the plea that Dan was talking about, it came from a young man that bonded with a ball of energy before disappearing." Keith recounted. Marucho and Alice then went on to explain the details of the events that they had witnessed from colours to the kind of people they saw.

"I have a feeling that the coloured ball of energy must have been the power of the Nexus that monster was talking about," Dr. Michael stated. "It is also possible based on what you've explained to me that the young man might also have been transported here, finding him might help us make more sense of the situation before it becomes a global issue." "Shun mentioned that we do have a lead that could help us find this person," Rafe reminded.

"Before I explain myself, I have something that I should share with all of you," Shun replied. Shun told everyone present what he discussed with Dan earlier that evening. After explaining himself, everyone looked lost for words as Dan stood up and excused himself from the meeting. "Daniel, wait!" Dr. Michael interjected. Dan stopped when Keith and Gus prevented him from leaving. Dr. Michael continued, "You were already at the greenhouse before I sent the brawlers up there to check the rose garden. You were at the source of the signal. What else did you see before your friends arrived?"

"I didn't see that much before they arrived. I saw people running in panic and screaming. I heard someone instruct some others to get the people to safety and then these six people were helping the people with these super….," Dan was saying when Ace suddenly interjected, "You could hear what they said?!" Dan looked surprised and unsure as he answered "Yes, I could hear the screaming, the tremors that were shaking the place, there were a lot of voices saying stuff that I couldn't distinctly make out but I could tell that they were the voices of people's conversations."

"You heard what the rest of us couldn't hear" Shun pointed out. Dan quickly defended himself, "Nothing they were saying was as important as what we all heard that dude say before we came here. Like I said, it was hard to make out." "You were there before any of us was and you didn't even notice us there until the end. You were so absorbed you ignored us," Shun stated, "You mentioned that you didn't care whatever theories might come up. Well here's one for you Dan, you and that guy are connected. I was watching, it was like he was talking to you directly before he disappeared. Stop being difficult when you clearly have a connection to everything that has been happening." The atmosphere became tense as both Shun and Dan seemed to have a heavy disagreement.

"I'm being difficult?! What exactly do you want me to do? So I witnessed something that you didn't. I'm now a prime centre of focus? I won't deny being involved but don't expect me to have the answers to all your questions. I don't know any more than you do when it comes to this. I don't care about the theories because I want us to have progress in figuring out these bizarre circumstances. But I also mentioned that the whole situation has me on edge. Nothing makes sense to me and it's too much to comprehend." Dan retorted.

Dan looked at the rest of the brawlers and continued, "The night before that serpent came, I couldn't sleep. I woke up feeling distressed and concerned but I couldn't tell why. I tried to relax by watching the rain through one of the windows and I noticed that the sky was discoloured. I fell asleep not long after and woke up around dawn. I figured to psyche myself up again, I'd go for a morning jog. I felt better but not completely relaxed before coming to join you guys for breakfast that day. I remember seeing the same sky I had seen the previous night before I ran out." The room was silent and Shun felt concern as his friend explained his hesitance regarding the whole situation.

"I've had this feeling that something bad is going on and I'm somehow connected to these events but I also can't shake away the feeling of distress and unease within me. An instinctive feeling to not involve myself, to keep away from something hidden. Almost like an intuition that my involvement could make matters worse."

Dan's statements emotionally struck the people present. They had no idea that their ever-cheerful leader was feeling this way about the whole situation. He felt somewhat responsible for the bizarre occurrences because he had indirect connections to the events. But it hurt him that he couldn't even provide answers for these things occurring. Nothing was revealed to him precisely. It was as though the information was being kept from him.

"I apologize," Shun's voice brought everyone's thoughts back to the situation at hand, "I shouldn't have said those things earlier and now. To be honest, I'm also scared of what's been happening and concerned with how little we know of the situation. I guess the main reason we're not on equal terms of agreement is because I feel like the less we know, the more prone we are to whatever is actually going on and we can't do nothing about it."

"What do you mean?" Jake asked. "What I mean is I respect Dan's feelings but wouldn't not knowing put him in more danger," Shun replied. The thought had never occurred to anyone that their friend could potentially be in danger. Keith commented, "I agree with Shun, in both these instances, Dan was focused on, I'm willing to bet that it was because he was outside that this recent signal was detectable and witnessed outside. Then the other time, the serpent directly attacks Dan upon sight, Dan acts like a completely different person and then forgets about the whole thing entirely. Maybe this Nexus power is to blame and solely targeting our friend for a reason. A reason that could either be good or bad but still unknown."

"So now we need to figure out all these loose ends, I really hope that nothing bad is going to happen," Fabia sighed. "I think the first thing we need to do is to find out all we can about this Nexus power. Something relevant should surface if we direct our attention in that manner. I'll ask my sister if she's heard anything about it in Neathia."

"I can ask Master Nurzak about it too," Ren said. "We can search through all the Vestal archives and ask Klaus to keep an ear out about it too in Vestal," Ace supplied. Drago spoke up, "We'll help too, it will mean going back to New Vestroia to gather any helpful information but I'm sure we'll be able to contact you once we've find anything."

"And we'll find as much as possible here too, I know someone who did a course in Ancient History and Beliefs, perhaps she could help us out," Julie excitedly said, "Finally! We have a game plan! Awesome!"

"That's very good. I'll keep researching and inform you of whatever I find, goodnight and good luck!" Dr. Michael said as he signed off.

The brawlers and their bakugan were glad that they were making progress and were eagerly chatting with one another about how they were going to find out the required information. They were so caught up with one another, they didn't realize when two people had left. One leaving in the middle of the excitement, the other noticing and following close behind.

* * *

 **AN: Thank you to everyone who has been following this story. I'm back to work now but I should have the next chapter ready in about a fortnight. Hope you're enjoying the plot so far and if you've read/followed "The Dark Three", one of my previous stories, please check out my recent AN for it.**

 **The angst between Dan and Shun was pretty short-lived but that doesn't mean that these two friends' and the brawlers' relationships won't be tested. Come on, the summary says it all – but all of that will come soon. It'll be fun to know if anyone has any theories as to what is going on.**

 **Do you have a fave out of the OCs?**

 **They** _ **might**_ **be coming back.**

 **:D**

 **Rate, Review and I'll see you soon.**


	8. Securing Hope

" _ **Amid the toughest of circumstances, the real strength for victory is hope."**_

* * *

Dan left in all the excitement.

He was glad that the air of stagnancy over the situation was removed but it wasn't as reassuring as he thought it would be. What if what they found wasn't something they had the power to deal with. He wasn't sure if he was feeling like this because he was unsure or if he was trying to protect his friends his own way.

"Protect them all, the ones you care about huh? Where are they and why?"

That boy from the visual was looking straight at him like he was there, talking to him as if knowing he would hear. The light from that ball of energy made it harder to make out intricate details like the boy's face but he was sure he saw teardrops and a sad smile.

"He must have willingly made that sacrifice but why?" Dan knew they were just advancing in their information hunt but now he had all these new questions and most of them were too complex to get the answers immediately. He wasn't too concerned about what had happened in that torn apart city or even where the city was. His most pressing concern was why, why was the city destroyed, why did the serpent get absorbed into the ball of energy, why did the boy look sad, why did the boy make that desperate plea, why was Earth attacked and most especially, why was he involved in all of this. Dan knew that he might have to wait awhile before getting a decent answer but he hoped there wouldn't be consequences from finding out too late.

Dan walked to his room and decided to take a warm bath before going to bed. He didn't feel hungry and just wanted to sleep. He got his bath ready and went into the room to get a change of clothes. "Why I am not surprised that you're in here," Dan sighed.

Sure enough, Shun was in the room looking like a child that had hidden the last cookie. "I came to help you wash your back," he replied mischievously. Dan chuckled lightly, "I can do it but thanks and... sorry for how I acted earlier." Shun shook his head, "I'm the one who should be apologizing for being insensitive. I guess I took the worry factor too far."

"Yeah, I know, you acting like an overly protective brother, not the first time." Dan responded. There was a moment of silence but it was far from awkward. It was more accommodating and mutually accepted. "Are you still uncomfortable with searching for information about everything that's happened?" Shun asked.

Dan shrugged his shoulders and answered, "It's worth a shot. I guess it's better to know and have hope rather than to not know and be worried about uncertain consequences. Nothing that has happened so far has been entirely helpful and I guess, we need to take into consideration the serpent's warnings. If we are truly dealing with this Nexus power, then we have to take note that it was the same power that supposedly caused what happened the other day globally. It was also what the serpent said was ready to destroy to protect itself. The true meaning of which, is a concern." Shun stared at him in shock.

"What?" Dan asked curiously. "Who would have thought you could say something so insightful like that," Shun stated teasingly.

* * *

By the time Dan returned to the room, his bath water was ice cold. Thanks to Shun, he ended up chasing that ninja all about the compound which caused him to work up an appetite. So he had dinner with everyone and the atmosphere was so much more relaxed and calming. After dinner, the brawlers settled down to watch some hilarious reality T.V. which clearly had everyone rolling on the floor in laughter. All in all, the fun filled evening was what the brawlers, especially Dan, needed. It was well appreciated.

So, he just opted for a quick shower and changed into his sleep wear. Ace and Shun were also in the room and getting ready for bed. That night Dan and the rest of the brawlers slept peacefully. It had been a long time but finally it felt like things were looking up and that surely their hopes, were secured.

The next day had everyone searching for anything they could about the power of the Nexus.

What was it?

Where did it come from?

What can it do?

These were amongst the questions that were being investigated. The Bakugan left early in the morning, after bidding their partners to goodbyes, to go to New Vestroia. Fabia contacted her sister and told her about what had recently happened on earth. She then asked her if she knew anything about this mysterious power. Her sister said she would look into it but then surprised Fabia by telling her that although they had no malevolent beast to deal with, they experienced the same destructive phenomena that earth had. This was new. Fabia asked her why she wasn't told before, her sister apologized and explained that the occurrence at first, resembled a normal electric storm only it was definitely fiercer and structurally damaging but after a while, the storm stopped and all the destruction was reversed. Fabia couldn't believe that a similar thing had happened in Neathia. Now she definitely couldn't ignore any of this.

* * *

Julie left the house to go meet up with her friend, Ria. She didn't want to involve the girl too deeply, so she fashioned her intention in the form of an inquisitive interview. When she asked Ria about the power of the Nexus, Ria explained to her that she hadn't heard much about the power but she had read about an ancient world that many ancient cultures believed to be the origin of every modern civilisation. The name of the place was the Nexus and its people were called the Nexai.

"It was believed that their civilisation was more complex than what we know of civilisations today and their technological advances were greater than what we now have in the digital age. The Nexai were dedicated to an entity, sort of like their deity and they believed that it was this deity that connected everything in the known universe. The government was ruled by a monarchy which was also the household of priests for this deity. But then one day, a taboo was committed and the deity punished its people causing it to be separated from the rest of the universe and destroying their government, throwing their civilisation into ruin.

The meaning of Nexus in their tongue was 'The centre' a place of convergence and it was believed that the location of the Nexus was right in the middle of the whole universe." Julie took note of everything Ria said and asked her if there were any resources she could get and study for herself. Ria told her that her library had a few books that talked about it and that she could check them out for her as long she didn't hold on to them for too long. Julie appreciated the offer but declined saying that she would most likely lose the books. She asked if Ria could send her the names of the books and Ria agreed to search for the titles and send them to her.

Julie left feeling accomplished. Sure, she hadn't gotten anything about what she was initially looking for but now she had new information that gave her a deeper insight. "The taboo must have been what caused that city's destruction that we all saw yesterday and the power of the Nexus must be related to this supposed deity." She ran home in excitement; she couldn't wait to tell the others and find out more.

Marucho employed all the computer personnel who helped in the design and running of Bakugan Interspace, to search for all the info they could find about the Nexus. Some of the personnel had informants in different sectors and enlisted their help as well. However, the search was tedious. There didn't seem to be much except for those small articles about ancient myths and even these didn't have much to say about the Nexus. "The Nexus is amongst the origin cities people believed in, carrying the status as being the centre of the world," Marucho finished reading and sighed, "I wish there were more specific details that we could find."

* * *

 **AN: Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Rate, review and See you soon.**

 **P.S. Hope you like the introductory quotes so far. The ones without authors were written by me. \\(^o^)/**


	9. Converging Theories

The evening atmosphere was cool and calm. The brawlers were settling down after having dinner and decided to talk about the things they could find from the day's efforts. Apart from the bakugan, everyone was present. Jake and Baron had decided to ask around the city for anyone who knew anything relevant, like societies or researchers that were into old cultures and myths. However, their search ended up fruitless, with most people thinking they were either pranking them or crazy. Keith, Gus, Mira and Ace reported that they hadn't had that much luck either – Klaus had told them that nobody knew anything about the power of Nexus or had even heard about it but he promised that he would broaden his search to find a potential lead or any hidden information.

Ren and Paige told the brawlers what Master Nurzak had told them. He said that the power of the Nexus was not in any documented archives but there were quite a few books and records that made mention of the Nexus as a place. However, none of them contained information on its whereabouts or how to get there. It was similar with Rafe and Fabia, Ambassador Serena had ordered an extensive look into every record of sacred powers and civilisations and had stumbled upon the same kind of information that Master Nurzak had, also with no leads.

As everyone gave an account of their findings, it seemed like every attempt had led to a dead end or more questions being asked. Julie was so eager to share what she had found after hearing about some of the failed efforts. It wasn't the answer they were looking for but she felt it would lead them in the right direction. "I think I might have something." Her statement brightened the slowly dulling atmosphere, if her grin wasn't doing so already. Julie went on to explain that although she couldn't get any info on the power of the Nexus, a friend of hers had given her a list of books that should contain research into the Nexus and its civilisation. "My friend told me that it was believed that their civilisation was more complex than what we know about today and their technology was really great compared to what we have now. She mentioned that the people were called the Nexai and they were dedicated to a deity or something like that and they believed that it was what connected everything in the universe," Julie reported.

"But how is that different from what we've found Julie," Marucho replied. Julie pouted and continued, "Let me finish, she also said that the Nexai were ruled by a monarchy which were also the household of priests for this deity. Then one day, a taboo was committed and the deity punished the Nexai by causing them and the Nexus to be separated from the rest of the universe, destroying everything and throwing their civilisation into ruin. The meaning of Nexus in their language was the centre which was why, it was believed that the location of the Nexus was right in the middle of the whole universe." Julie could see the sheer amazement in the rest of the brawler's eyes. She smiled with glee knowing that she had been able to find more substantial information for them to work with.

"That's amazing to hear Julie, well done," Alice commented. "Thanks, hun! Also, here's the list of book titles my friend recommended Marucho." Marucho took the paper note and scanned through its contents. "Great, I'll start searching for them." Runo quickly interjected, "Let me have a look at the names, I want to have a go at looking for them too." She hadn't had that much luck finding information either and deeply wanted to help Dan as much as she could.

Marucho gave her the piece of paper. Runo took it, gave it a read and frowned. "What's the matter Runo?" Mira asked, seeing her expression change after reading the paper.

"Julie, did your friend write these or did you write them down?"

Julie looked puzzled, "I wrote them down, she sent them to me via email." "Can I see the email?" Julie and the rest of the brawlers were confused as to what Runo was doing but Julie obliged and gave Runo her phone. Runo looked through the email and sighed, expression unchanged from before. "What's up Runo? You gonna tell us what's on your mind?" Dan asked, noticing her weird behaviour.

Runo looked up from the screen of the phone to face the brawlers, "I recognise the title and author of one of the books listed here. It's not a research book, that I am pretty sure of."

"Well, what else could it be Runo?" Keith asked. Runo asked Marucho if she could use the big screen computer in the room for a moment. Marucho nodded and logged in for her. Runo went straight online to the search engine and typed in the name of the book and its author but when the search results came out, there wasn't a book or reference to one in sight. Instead the search results showed something rather peculiar, "I remember going to a gallery with my parents when we went on holiday and seeing pictures and sketches of it. It definitely looked amazing, almost magical but there wasn't a description of it being otherworldly in the slightest, just that it was so unique and the only one of its kind. Because it was so pricey to make, fragile and not reproducible, the details of the location of the original piece was not made known to the public. If I remember correctly, the description just said that the creator had an idea that most people deemed him crazy for but now appreciate its ingenuity."

It was just one surprise after another, and Julie had her jaw dropped all the way down to the ground. It wasn't the name of a book at all, it was the name of a high value art piece – what appeared to be a sculpture.

* * *

"A Sculpture! Are you sure Julie?" Ria answered. Julie had called her not long after she had sent her the names of the book titles. Julie had told her that one of the names wasn't to a book at all but a rare sculpture. "I saw the name in a journal article that talked about the origin stories of a few ancient cities and places. The Nexus happened to one of them."

Julie sighed in reply to Ria and explained that it just surprised her since the sculpture didn't look like it would help in the slightest. "I'm sorry for the misinformation but why are you so interested in finding so much about the Nexus, Julie?" Ria's question had Julie struggling for a suitable excuse. "I heard about it from a friend and they asked if I would help. She seemed really intrigued and excited, I think she wants to write a story or something, beats me." Julie hoped Ria bought the excuse. The brawlers didn't have a reason to search for information other than to potentially help their friend and stop a power they didn't understand. How was she supposed to explain that to Ria?

Ria sensed Julie's disappointment when she called her about the name but what could she do? It wasn't her fault, but hearing Julie's reason for helping her friend do some research for inspiration encouraged Ria to at least take some responsibility for the mistake. "I'll go over the article again and see if I made a mistake or missed something. I'll get back to you, Julie. Take care." Ria hung up and went over to her laptop. She had a digital copy of the article and wondered whether to send it to Julie to look at herself. The article was long and did have a lot of information that Julie didn't need, so maybe it was best for Ria to pick out the ones that were about the Nexus. She came across the paragraph that talked about the Nexus and saw the name of the supposed sculpture. She hadn't made a mistake. It was the right name that she had sent Julie. Ria typed the name into a search engine and true enough, the results were about an expensive sculpture. She typed out the name of the "author" and found something interesting. The man's name was Akashi Hiiro - he had been working for an archaeological firm but was dismissed after the firm went bankrupt. With no job, he turned to pottery and sculpting as a means to get some money and sustain himself. His artworks were impressive and he received a lot of recognition and wealth. His crazy turning point was when he used up all the wealth he had gotten to make this final piece. It was the only one of its kind and used seven beautiful precious gems – Garnet, Citrine, Moonstone, Black Onyx, Aquamarine, Emerald and Amethyst. The gems were as huge like grapefruits, no wonder the man was called crazy for spending all his money. But the design was beautiful and weird at the same time, why would anyone make this the way he had done.

All the gems were shaped like orbiting planets. The arrangement of six of them reminded Ria of the Bakugan attribute circle, the colours were in similar positions but the final Amethyst piece was placed straight in the middle of them all. A gorgeous purple piece that seemed to complement the others in their patterned arrangement. The whole thing was embedded in a thick sheet of black diamond. Gold strings were seen beneath the diamond surface and these curved, surrounded and connected all the six gems to each other, leaving the Amethyst one alone without a connection or gold surrounding. Ria took her time searching through the results that talked about the artist and the sculpture and couldn't help but wonder why such an expensive sculpture was made and why it was called, "Discontinuity".


	10. Point of No Return

"What kind of name is Discontinuity?" Julie sighed. Ria had informed her of the new information that she had found and it didn't help that they were still in the dark about the Nexus. "Great… I'd better tell the rest of the gang."

The brawlers were exasperated. What on earth was going on? Where were they meant to look for answers? Nothing seemed to point them remotely to any particular direction and it was beginning to get frustrating. The new information didn't help in the slightest. What would a sculpture have to do with an unknown force at work? What exactly was going on?!

"Why don't we go for a walk?" Alice suggested. Their collective thought-stewing was getting them nowhere; a clear mind was what they all needed and would benefit from. It was an idea well received. A cool afternoon, perfect for walking and letting go of life's worries. They strolled to some shops for sweet treats and to window shop. The collective frustration was slowly ebbing away and everyone's attitudes were getting better. They had spent about half an hour outside and were preparing to go back when a figure approached them.

"I need to speak to all of you." No introductions, no name, no chance to refuse. "It will benefit you."

The brawlers were startled at the abrupt intrusion into their stroll; one of them quickly snapped out of it though.

"Who do you think you are?! You can't just come up to us like that. Not cool! Are you from the streets, you looking for a fight punk?!" Baron and Marucho quickly tried to calm Jake down.

The figure regarded each brawler cautiously. His eyes connecting with each one of theirs for at least a second. After some thought, he indulged them with introducing himself.

"My name is Akashi Hiiro."

* * *

Are you Akashi Hiiro? Are you the guy who made the sculpture?" Marucho asked. Said man nodded in response. The brawlers had decided to indulge the newcomer and were sitting in a private booth in a nearby café, courtesy of Marucho. They had suggested going to Runo's café but for sake of security, decided against it.

"Did you know we were looking for you?" Marucho added, "How did you know where to find us?"

"I've been looking for an opportunity to speak to you ever since that serpent showed up. To be honest, my time is very limited." Akashi's overall appearance did not speak well for him. He did look ill. "No, I am not sick or dying. I am waiting." As if knowing what was going in everyone's mind, he threw them off with that statement. What did he mean he was waiting?

Akashi directed his gaze at Dan saying, "You should know that this has to do with you immensely." Dan could only lightly chuckle. As if he didn't know this already, "Yeah, I figured that much." The expression on Akashi's face could only be read as pity. It wasn't missed by the brawlers, especially Dan, "Look, if you have something to say, then just say it."

It was a couple of minutes before Akashi spoke again but this time he asked what the brawlers knew already. Shun replied him with everything they knew and what they wanted him to tell them about his sculptural masterpiece. "Tell us about this art piece you made, Discontinuity. What is it meant to be or represent?"

"Discontinuity was my final piece because the inspiration came to me in a dream. A dream where I heard voices yelling in agony at me. Telling me that it was my fault. That I was to disappear. Not long after I heard a male voice. He asked me to send a message to a particular person. He said that the person will understand once they got it. Then, it was like a photo in my mind. A detailed picture of a place only the mind go. I was mentally hooked. I couldn't help myself. I had to recreate it, to recapture the beauty that I saw. It was only after I had made it that the emotional weight came crashing down on me. Sculptures and pictures are physical representations of captured memories or workings of the mind. So I dared to ask since I felt deep down that this was not a moment of inspiration but of dread, what was the message in what I had done?"

Suddenly he collapsed and his breathing became shallow. Baron and Jake were nearby and rushed to sit him upright by acting as supports. Marucho was dialling on his Bakupod, most likely trying to get the man some medical help without scaring the people in the café. Akashi's pallor was getting worse and he was trembling but he reiterated, pulling Marucho's hands apart, "I'm not dying because I am already dead."

Enough shocking statements for one day! Seriously! It took a while for everyone to get their heads around the day's events. Ace was the first to speak, "You were waiting because you needed to deliver the message?" Akashi nodded. "I was the man who instigated the destruction of the Nexus. The person then and who I am now, existed separately and connectedly courtesy of the doppelganger effect. To put it in simpler terms, my past self, contacted me and told me about my future." His skin started to crack like he was clay model himself, he looked towards Dan. "My message was to Dan Kuso." He was disintegrating slowly but surely.

"You too were once contacted by your past self and considering who that was, the Universe was almost thrown into chaos because of it. I am the message and this is the warning. The Nexus was disconnected as a result of the sacrifice your past-self did to protect his home. It was the result of looking for the people's safety rather than the Universe's. The Disconnect will lead to a number of catastrophes that we can only wait for."

Akashi was almost gone, his being was wafting through the air, but he stood up, walked to be directly in front of Dan and knelt down. Every brawler's eye was glued to the scene. "As the reincarnation of Prince Kiyen, should you pursue the people's safety in wake of the upcoming disasters, your soul may be required of you too."

"Are you willing Daniel to sacrifice who you are to become the person you once were. Will you inherit Kiyen's will? Kiyen who was the crown prince and host of the Nexus Oculum, who did not carry out the desires of the Oculum for whom he was meant to serve. Know that if you should attempt it, the Oculum will attempt to take back what it has claimed for itself. And all in the name of balance, it will not hesitate to destroy you."

Dan and Shun recognised the last part of the statement. The serpent's own warnings. Dan looked curiously and dejectedly into the fading man in front of him, "You were the serpent that attacked me. Weren't you?"

Akashi smiled slightly before completely fading away but his last words were heard before they were carried away by the wind … "Yes, I was and yet, I was not."

* * *

Dan got up and walked out of the café, ignoring the calls of his friends. He walked without actively taking note of his surroundings. He walked until he came up to a familiar park and he sat on one of the benches. He was grasping at straws to get a sense of reality. He was the reincarnation of a prince and bad things were going to happen because said prince had been selfless. Did this mean that ultimately it was going to be his fault for the future of the Universe? Was he going to die too, like Akashi?

He felt raindrops fall on his face. Good. They will mask the tears that were threatening to fall on his face. He wasn't sure what move to make next. There must be something that he could do or why else would he be involved! He gripped his head in frustration. He didn't notice the blunette standing a stone's throw away. But she couldn't stand to see him break down either. So she ran to him and placed her hands on his, easing the death grip that they had on Dan's hair.

It might have been a few seconds but it felt longer. Dan slowly raised his head to look at the girl who was, in turn, looking at him with sadness and concern. "I don't know what to do", he admitted. He hadn't registered the moment when his tears had fallen but as soon as it happened, Runo wiped them away and wrapped her arms around Dan in a hug. She replied in a whisper, "What do you want to do?"

"I'm scared of myself Runo. I want to do the right thing but I have no idea how to."

"No matter what you choose, we will… I will always be there for you."

Moments like this were few and far in between especially with their separate statuses in the world of brawling. But moments like this were always appreciated by both parties. Without the expectations of public and eyes of nosey friends, they were not afraid of being transparent and honest with each other.

That's why Runo knew not to say anything in response because she already knew the boy in front of her.

That's why she wasn't afraid of levelling her cerulean gaze with his.

She wasn't ashamed of leaning in towards him.

She wasn't shocked when she felt him hold her firmly, pulling her close.

She wasn't surprised when she felt his lips touch hers.

She wasn't hesitant in welcoming his tongue into her mouth.

She wasn't concerned with the world around them as she kissed Dan back.

It was moments like this that she secretly cherished and looked forward to.

With the rain falling in cascades around them, the white noise giving them the focus they needed for each other, Runo knew Dan needed her and vice versa.

Would there come a time where she couldn't be there for him when he needed her the most? Those were the kind of fears running through her mind as she passionately kissed Dan, the person she was willing to sacrifice for.

She had already crossed the point of no return: she had ultimately come to love him.


	11. Time Lapse

" _ **Time is the longest distance between two places." - Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie**_

* * *

"Hey Kaname, what are you doing over there?" Kiyen had spotted his friend who was supposedly hiding from him. Kaname inwardly cursed Kiyen's keen senses and wondered how he was supposed to watch out for the crown prince without being seen. "You're doing a bad job at trying to hide from me. Why are you following me this time?" Kiyen couldn't help but sound amused. He knew that it was Kaname's job to escort him from a vantage point in the shadows and protect him but the crown prince found it increasingly difficult to look at his childhood friend as a bodyguard. They were closer than siblings. So as much as the need for a bodyguard was logical in sense, it was just bizarre to Kiyen with regards to this particular friend.

"I was told to follow you at all times but I assume that much you knew,"Kaname answered and Kiyen lightly glared in response. "Besides, where exactly are you going? This is a weird route to take within the palace." Kiyen just turned away and kept walking, knowing full well that his friend would trail regardless.

After a moment of silently walking, they arrived at a set of two heavy looking doors. Kaname took note of their surroundings. They were still in the palace grounds, in fact, the courtyard was within sight. Strange. He had never noticed another passage through the courtyard to where they were. Perhaps, it was because they took an alternate route that had them passing through the palace's gardens and orchard. It was strange though. The doors looked like they had never been opened and he figured that the crown prince was planning to change that. The prince had approached the doors in fascination and was in awe at the delicate patterns that were engraved into the doors. After a few seconds of marvelling at the exterior, curiosity sparked within the prince at the prospect of what could be behind the doors.

It looked like the doors were exactly as they looked – they were heavy! Kaname took his time watching the prince struggling with pulling on one of the door's hoop handles. It was an endearing sight to behold and certainly humorous. The prince must have forgotten that he had an escort that he could command to help him. Kaname snickered to himself and the sound caught the attention of the prince who immediately looked behind him with a startled expression and then upon realising who it was, began to redden with slight embarrassment. Kaname could only shake his head in amusement and went over to the prince. He pulled out a strand of his hair and it morphed into a whip. He wound the whip tightly around the hoop and levered the whip around a nearby tree to act as a pulley. Then, he motioned to the prince. The prince came and held a section of the whip and in tandem, they pulled on the whip. It was slow progress but they successfully opened the door.

Kiyen excitedly walked into the space behind the door. The décor in the room was unusual, to say the least. There were strange writings all over the walls. Some were written in languages he could understand but some just looked bizarre. The only light in the room came from the gap they had made with the door. So it was pretty dark but not pitch black. Kiyen walked looking around till his eyes fell towards his reflection on the wall. The wall had a carved out section that seemed to be fitted with glass, almost like a built-in wall mirror. Kiyen stared at his reflection in the mirror.

The smell of approaching rain filled the air, Kaname waited at the entrance of the room to keep a lookout but when he saw a bright light flash in his peripheral vision he sprinted into the room without a second thought. The sight caught him by surprise. The markings on the wall were glowing an ethereal blue and Kiyen, staring at something in the mirror asked, "Why is he crying?"

* * *

Dan had had enough. He always tried to put a bright smile for everyone but it was really hard to keep smiling when it hurt. Runo had found him in the park in the pouring rain. He was glad that she did. She was the one who coaxed him to go and rest after they had spent some time in each other's company. But he couldn't bring himself to go back to Marucho's place. He needed to be alone to think. He needed to gain some sense of control. Things were happening too fast for him to fully grasp and accept. So he went home. To his home. To his room. His mum was surprised to see him but she didn't pry when she noticed the withdrawn look he had on. She just made him something to eat and then ran him a bath. Thankfully, his appetite wasn't completely affected otherwise, it might have worried his mum some more. After eating and bathing, he got ready for bed. He heard his mum on the phone downstairs, 'she must be phoning dad' he thought. He did have a strange expression on his face and it must have upset her but he would have to deal with that later. He just needed to sleep.

He woke up to the heavy sound of rain and a chilling breeze. The rain must have picked up since evening. He had fallen asleep not long after he had gotten into bed. He looked outside into the street through his window. Everything had a subtle overcast purple-grey glow to it. It was surprisingly calming. He figured it was really early in the morning. Probably of a couple of hours past midnight. It just felt like it was a new day he had woken up to. He closed his window and sat on the window sill to get a better look outside to pass the time. He didn't feel like falling back asleep.

He had no idea how long he had been staring through the window into the dimly lit street but it seemed the longer he looked the more he noticed the outline on the window of something or someone looking back at him. He moved his head and the image on the window did the same. Was this weird reflection because of rain and darkness outside? It certainly did act like a reflection.

Dan was surprised to see that the image was crying. He tentatively touched his face with his other hand, but there were no tell-tale tear marks on his face. Was this really a reflection? The image became clearer the closer he looked. It looked like the boy who was asking for help. The Crown prince! But why was he crying?! He reached to touch the window and unsurprisingly the image did the same. Their palms touched against the glass and the boy smiled. Dan felt a tear fall down his cheek in relief. He couldn't explain what had him so relieved to tears but before he could register that the image had disappeared and a blue glow had filled the room, he could feel someone shaking him and telling him to wake up.

When had he fallen asleep? Was it all a dream? He must have fallen asleep on the window sill. He was making a habit of that.

Dan stirred and looked at the person who was shaking him awake. It was Shun. 'I guess on hindsight, I never mentioned that I was going back to my place to anyone other than Runo,' he thought. He looked out the window. It looked like it was past dawn and there was not a drop of rain to be seen. Shun didn't seem to mind that his best friend hadn't come back to Marucho's place or that he would have made them worry if Runo hadn't told them where he was going. He just asked Dan if he felt up for a jog. Dan smiled and commented that Shun must not have the confidence to beat him in a run to which Shun laughed and replied, "I'll take up the challenge if you are up to it." Dan's eyes sparkled at the challenge and leapt off the sill with a new enthusiasm for the day ahead. He didn't realise how much he needed to be outside. It definitely beats staying his room with the memories of his dreams lingering and confusing. The last thing he remembered was seeing strange writings glow all around him in a blue haze.

* * *

At hearing Kiyen's question, Kaname came towards the prince to see what he was talking about but he only saw their reflections and that Kiyen was crying. Kiyen noticed that Kaname had come to stand beside him but hadn't said a word. In fact, he looked at Kiyen confused. Surely, he could the image of the boy in the mirror and that the boy was crying. "Can't you see him?! He's looking straight at us with tears down his face!" Kaname was taken aback by the slight outburst but quickly composed himself. He replied, "I see no one besides us, however, I do see a boy with tears down his face" Before, Kiyen could comment, Kaname continued, "but what I want to know Kiyen, is what exactly did you see that has made you upset?".

Kiyen looked at Kaname in surprise then felt his face. It was wet, he had been crying. Why? He saw the boy, the boy was still in the mirror crying. The boy likewise was touching his face almost like a reflection. Kiyen didn't understand why but the boy was so familiar yet different to him. He moved and noticed that the boy did likewise a perfect reflection. He walked towards the mirror and the boy seemed to do the same. The boy was still crying, he was still crying. He lifted his hand and the reflection did the same. He pressed his palm to the mirror and the boy did the perfect mirror copy. It was weird, the place where his palm was felt warm. Almost like holding another person's warm hand. The boy smiled at him and disappeared. Kiyen didn't know if he was smiling too. It didn't register. The only thing that did register was Kaname's shouting for him to wake up and reality came crashing back down to him. The room was no longer glowing and Kaname was holding him up from completely lying on the floor. He was so concerned yet relieved that the prince was awake. Kiyen smiled in gratitude and made to stand up. That was a weird experience, when had he fallen asleep. Kaname was quick to suggest that they leave the room and after that odd experience, Kiyen could only oblige. He didn't want to ponder on what had just happened. The last thing he remembered was that he was staring out into the surrounding area that was definitely not the palace but was really familiar and it had been raining.

Just like how it was raining now, within the palace grounds.

* * *

 **Hi Guys, for those who are still reading this story. Thanks.**

 **I hope to come up with a schedule for updating since I'm going to start work soon but right now, I'm writing when I feel inspired to write but I do want to finish this story, so no matter the time in between I'll do my best to keep going. I do want to get better at writing so please rate and review. Thanks again.**

 **See ya soon!**


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